Clinical Trials

Randomised trials have come a long way since the early days of randomisation, and are now accepted as providing the most reliable information to guide clinical practice and health policy. This concise book discusses the significance of clinical trials in the context of 21st century health care, with leading trialists and practitioners of evidence–based medicine contributing on issues such as: The role of experiments in health care Keeping track of trial reports What have we learned from 50 years of randomisation? Why do we still need large simple trials? Quality and progress of randomised trials ? The role of data monitoring committees The nuts and bolts of doing trials Building resources for randomised trials Empowering patient choice about participation in trials. Anyone interested in how to do trials will find these chapters informative and practical. There are topics of interest to everyone; whether they are a newly appointed trial manager or programmer, a clinician recruiting patients into a study, an experienced clinical trialist, or someone invited to participate in a trial. This invaluable book will assist trialists and researchers in conducting efficient, high quality and relevant studies.

Contributors.

Foreword.

Preface.

Acknowledgements.

Comparing like with like and the development of randomisation.

Why we need randomised controlled trials.

Keeping track of trial reports; the experience of The Cochrane Trials Register.

What have we learned from 50 years of randomised trials for people with schizophrenia.

Big is still beautiful: why we still need large simple trials.

Factors that limit the number, quality and progress of randomised trials.

The nuts and bolts of doing trials.

Building resources for randomised trials.

The role of data monitoring committees.

Bayesian perspectives on the ethics of trials.

"Empowering" patient choice about participation in trials?.

Index